Hefziba Arana, a senior running for Miss Cardinal, hopes to branch out this school year. She is a player on the CIF winning aquatics team, with a passion for helping others out. Tyro Times spoke to her and we learned about who she is, and her goals and passions for the future. 

Jalina Carrillo: How did you spend your summer?

Hefziba Arana: I was home a lot. I would go to some waterpolo practices, but because I’m recovering from an injury, I went pretty slow and only would go sometimes and push myself. I mostly spent it relaxing taking in the free time. 

 JC: You said you were injured, how did you get injured?

HA: I was overworking myself last season during water polo. I never took breaks, stretched, or iced. It was my hips, and I had really bad inflammation. I ended up crying during a pre-season game because it became too much. I ended up going to physical therapy for a couple months. I would still keep playing during the season but I would get subbed out pretty often. I think that it was  hard because we went to CIF and I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to play. I just kept asking for subs and it was important to know my limit.

JC: You were recognized by the city for your sportsmanship, what were your thoughts on that? 

HA: To be honest, I was neutral. I wasn’t really excited or too scared. I was thinking it was nice to finally get noticed by more important people and so people can see what me and my team did and see how we got to where we were and tell our story on our defeats and our wins. It was nice to say I did get recognized, and I have people that know me. 

JC: What was running through your mind when you won CIF?

HA: It was an easy game since we played Edgewood before during preseason. It was actually Edgewood at the game where I cried because of my injury. When I heard that we were playing Edgewood I was scared because I lost to them already, and I thought, what if I can’t do it? What if I lose again? But when it came to the CIF game we saw how they warmed up, and we realized we were gonna win. It was not much or a shock, but more of a relief. 

JC: How has aquatics shaped who you are today? 

HA: Aquatics was very eye opening for me to see how I interact with people who are older than me. I was on the soccer and volleyball team and there were mostly people my age. With aquatics, I was depending a lot on upperclassmen and getting a lot of advice and help from them. It was a fun experience to branch out. I gained a lot of new connections and made so many new friends and gained an incredible new coach that believed in me, and that’s something I’ve never had before. 

JC: How do you lead your aquatics team as a captain? 

HA: I use my past knowledge and skills I gained in my first season. I would remember what I went through and my experiences and my thoughts and I tried to connect with them and ask them questions and how they felt. I’d always be there for them. And I knew I could depend on them because they were always there for me too. We were really close and that was something that was the most important part through the season because we had a good bond. And it was built by communicating. 

JC: How do you manage having a high GPA by doing/managing sports?
 

HA: Taking a lot of time after practice/games to focus on homework. I made sure to prioritize schoolwork before going to practice. If I knew I had to do something before practice, I’d communicate with my coach and team. It was just communicating and knowing what I had to get done and finishing that before letting myself enjoy my extracurricular activities. 

Helping out people in need is something Hef does for fun, and she sees herself doing it in the future. 

JC: What motivates you to volunteer at your church?

HA: It was more the fact that I knew that there were less fortunate people that went there for the food drives.  Being able to help them and give them food, toiletries, and sanitary things. It was something that made me happy I was able to give to the community. It was something important that I had to learn and open my eyes to see what’s happening in our community. 

JC: What’s a memory you’ve had volunteering at your church that you find most memorable?

HA: The day before my junior year. I was invited to this back-to-school cookout. I spent it with my friends, and it was something different than what I was used to doing at that church. I was used to only cleaning, and working. Just having that day off was relaxing and it was something I felt like I needed.

JC: What is an experience you’ve had this year that you wish for others to hear?

HA: When I was nominated for prom princess. I didn’t even know that I was nominated. My friends and my sister went behind my back and put me on the list. I had found out that I was one of the top nominees. They were saying they wanted me to do it. I was really stressed out, I was thinking I don’t want people to vote for me, I didn’t want to do it. They were saying it’s fun, and who knows if you’ll win, and people know you. And I was like “No, no one knows me.” And then I had to promote on my Instagram, and tell people to vote for me. I wasn’t used to that, or talking to random people saying “Vote me for prom princess.” I won. I was going against two more popular girls, and I’d say I’m more underground. It was something super surprising for me. It was so exciting. It was nice to do something different. 

JC: Why are you interested in the medical field? 

HA: I’m interested in the medical field because it’s something that I always knew I enjoyed: helping others. I just love watching Grey’s Anatomy and learning about helping others. The medical field is all about that. I don’t know specifically what I want to study/major. But I do know I want to help others and give people something that they do need. 

JC: What college are you looking into for that?

HA: I’m mostly looking into Cal State because they have a good registered nursing program. But I still have my options open, and I’m not really set on anything right now. 

JC: What is something that you would implement in our school? 

HA: I want to get people involved in helping animals. Going to animal shelters, and just caring for the pets that we have around our city. There’s so many abandoned dogs and we see cats around school. It’s so sad, they’re animals they still have a heart. It’s just sentimental to me, I love animals so much.

In four years of high school, you can learn a lot. Here’s what Hefziba learned. 

JC: What are some pieces of advice you’ve learned from yourself that you would want others to know?

HA: Branch out. Don’t be scared or shy. You will never get the same opportunity to show others who you are and what you’ve done. It’s important to introduce yourself to people and try to help out as much as you can in anything. Take those opportunities, never let anyone steal an opportunity from you that you could easily do. It’s easy to take them for granted but they could help you so much in your life in later time.